Chapter 21
Vicky awoke the next morning as Justin stretched out on the bed. She turned towards him and said, “Good morning, sleepy.”
“Good morning to you too,” Justin replied. He kissed her and stood up. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, I guess. It’s hard to let go of what happened yesterday. At least I’m out of the denial stage,” Vicky answered.
“So, what do you want to do today? Anything special?” he asked.
“No, I just wanna sit at home and talk to you. I wanna get to know you better. We’ve never really had the chance to do that.”
“I thought you already knew me well enough?” Justin walked out of the room, heading for the bathroom.
“I don’t. You might think that I’m a boy band freak, but I’m not. I like Korn and Green Day and Blink 182.” Vicky slipped into the shower as Justin brushed his teeth. “That also tells me that you don’t know me very well either. Well, let me tell you something, Justin Randall Timberlake. My full name is Victoria Michelle Nelson. My birthday is March 14, and I love sailing. There are more things that I’ll tell you later, just let me take a shower now.”
Justin left her alone to get ready that morning. Finally, around
“I like it. You look really nice and natural,” Justin commented. He sat in the comfortable deep blue love seat at the right of the TV in the living room. He watched Vicky as she brushed her silky blond hair. Justin loved the way it fell past her shoulders and down to just below her elbows. She reminded him of Jessica Simpson.
“Thank you,” Vicky replied as she sat down next to him. “So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Before we get there, why don’t we start with a little wine?” he asked, getting up and going into the kitchen to get the bottle and two glasses. He returned and poured Vicky a cup, then poured himself one. His arms wrapped around her as he began. “Okay, I’m gonna start first. I want to tell you all about me. I just hope you won’t fall asleep when I’m talking.”
Vicky giggled as Justin began to tell her about his childhood. They talked for hours about what it was like growing up in Mississippi. Vicky would sometimes cut in with a story of her own and explain it. Then it was back to Justin’s life. From what she heard, she thought it was pretty interesting. The thing she found funny about it was the Mickey Mouse Club. She couldn’t believe that he and JC had been in it.
As Justin got into his life now, she found it more interesting. He told her about what touring was like, and about the ‘N Sync album. When he was done, it was already four in the afternoon. Vicky’s stomach was growling for food. She was hungry after neither having breakfast nor lunch.
Justin saw the distracted look in her eyes and asked, “What’s the matter? Getting bored?”
“No, I’m hungry,” Vicky replied. She rubbed her stomach to prove it.
“Okay, why don’t we go out to eat?” Justin suggested. “Then you can tell me all about yourself.”
“Okay,” she agreed. They grabbed their coats and headed for Justin’s car, a hot little candy apple red Mercedes M-Class. “I love your car,” Vicky commented as she got into the passengers’ seat.
“All the girls love it,” he replied.
Twenty minutes later, the two were at a cozy little restaurant called The Inn on the outskirts of town. The waiter escorted them to a booth in the far corner where they could be left alone.
“So, Vicky, tell me about yourself,” Justin first spoke.
“Tell me what you know already,” Vicky teased.
“Well, your full name is Victoria Michelle Nelson, you like hard rock, you love sailing, and your birthday is March 14. You’re 18, you are the finest girl I’ve laid eyes on, and you’re great in bed,” Justin summed up what he knew from past experiences.
“That’s not all of it. I lived in Tampa for about three years, then my dad got transferred to Orlando. That’s how I met Chris. He was my next-door neighbor. He used to baby sit me when I was little. We always had a good time together. Chad was my other playmate. Since he was my age, we got along better.” Vicky took a sip of her water and continued. “Chris was still my best friend though. He and I were really close. I think he knew me better than Chad.”
“Anything else?” Justin asked as Vicky looked through the menu. She told him everything about her childhood in Orlando along with her relationship with Chad, Chris, and Sam. She told him how she met Sam one day in school, and became fast friends with her. Vicky took her time remembering the past since it was still so detailed in her mind. When it came to her family, she was extremely sensitive. Justin would scoot closer to put his arms around Vicky and hold her when she was near tears.
“My mom,” Vicky paused to collect herself, “was never really that close to me. We always fought about a lot of things. It was as if she never agreed on anything with me. Okay, I’ve never told anyone this, so consider yourself lucky. She wasn’t my real mother. She was my stepmother. My dad remarried after my real mother left us when we moved to Orlando. My dad never gave me a reason why she left, he just told me she was gone because of problems. Once I moved out of the house, things got a little better. I didn’t have to see my step mom that often, and fights were rare.
“When I moved to New York, all the trouble started over again. She yelled at me over the phone for going so far out of Florida. She yelled at me for having two jobs and trying to go to school. She even said that I would never be able to pay off my expenses. I guess she was right. That’s why I cry about her death. She predicted my future. It scared me that she would know so much would happen.”
“I see what you mean, Vicky,” Justin replied. “Too bad I don’t know what to say. My mom and I have always had a good relationship. I can’t remember when I last fought with her.”
“I wish I knew my real mother. I wonder what she’s like,” Vicky responded. The waiter came and placed their food in front of them. They ate in silence, lost in deep thought about each other’s lives. When it was time to get going, Justin took Vicky’s hand and led her out of the restaurant. Since it was located near the beach, they walked to the sands and took their shoes and socks off. Even though the night was a little cool, they walked down the beach barefoot.
“Do you like it?” Justin whispered as they reached a gray rock jutting out of the white sand and sat down.
Vicky looked up and replied, “I love it.”
“Hey, did you see that?” he asked as he pointed to a shooting star making its way across the black night sky.
“Yeah,” she answered. “Make a wish.”
“I did.”
“I’m not gonna ask what you wished for because it might not come true.”
“But it already did,” Justin whispered.
“What?”
“I wished for you, and it came true.”
Vicky smiled as she leaned over and kissed Justin. As their lips parted, he wrapped his arms around her and held her under the stars. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too,” Justin replied.